The 2013 Oscars Thread v.McFarlane

[Accelerando]

The contenders are out! After a very, very good year at the movies, the nominations for the biggest extravaganza in Hollywood has been announced. The Academy Awards will be in it's 85th year, which in the past has recognized films like Casablanca,  The Godfather,  and Lawrence of Arabia and has dubbed them has the greatest of all time. That time has past. The glitz and glamour of Hollywood is gone, yet the spirit of filmmaking remains. The politics of The Academy Awards is different than it was back in the golden age. Films seemed to get nominated based on performance rather than the spectacle of film, duly because a large percent of the Academy voters are from the acting branch. Yet, despite flaws in the nomination/voting process and knowing this, there's a fascination about giving that little golden guy away to a movie, director, actor, editor, cinematographer, etc. that's just massively appealing.

So here are the nominations - Enjoy discussing them, who should win/will win, who/what got snubbed, etc. It's Oscar season!


BEST PICTURE

- Beasts of the Southern Wild

- Silving Lingings Playbook

- Zero Dark Thirty

- Lincoln

- Les Miserables

- Life of Pi

- Amour

- Django Unchained

- Argo

 

BEST DIRECTOR

- David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

- Michael Haneke, Amour

- Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

- Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

- Ang Lee, Life of Pi

 

BEST ACTOR

- Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

- Denzel Washington, Flight

- Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook

- Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

- Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

- Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

- Phillip Seymour Hoffman, The Master

- Robert De Niro, Silver Linings

- Alan Arkin, Argo

- Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

 

BEST ACTRESS

- Naomi Watts, The Impossible

- Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

- Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

- Quvenzhane Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild

- Emmanuelle Riva, Amour

 

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

- Jackie Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook

- Helen Hunt, The Sessions

- Amy Adams, The Master

- Sally Field, Lincoln

- Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

- John Gatins, Flight

- Mark Boal, Zero Dark Thirty

- Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

- Michael Haneke, Amour

- Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom

 

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

- Lucy Alibar and Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild

- Chris Terrio, Argo

- Tony Kushner, Lincoln

- David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

- David Magee, Life of Pi

 

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

- Frankenweenie

- Wreck-It Ralph

- Paranorman

- Brave

- Pirates: A Band of Misfits

 

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

- Amour

- No

- War Witch

- A Royal Affair

- Kon-Tiki

 

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

- Seamus McGarvey, Anna Karenina

- Robert Richardson, Django Unchained

- Claudio Miranda, Life of Pi

- Janusz Kaminski, Lincoln

- Roger Deakins, Skyfall

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY – FEATURE

- 5 Broken Cameras

- The Gatekeepers

- How to Survive A Plague

- The Invisible War

- Searching for Sugar Man

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

- Inocente

- Kings Point

- Mondays at Racine

- Open Heart

- Redemption

 

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

- Asad

- Buzkashi Boys

- Curfew

- Death of a Shadow (Dood van een Schaduw)

- Henry

 

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM

- Adam and Dog

- Fresh Guacamole

- Head over Heels

- Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"

- Paperman

 

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

- Dario Marianelli, Anna Karenina

- Alexandre Desplat, Argo

- Mychael Danna, Life of Pi

- John Williams, Lincoln

- Thomas Newman, Skyfall

 

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

- "Skyfall" - Skyfall

- "Everybody Needs A Friend" - Ted

- "Pi's Lullabye" -  Life of Pi

- "Suddenly" - Les Miserables

- "Before My Time" - Chasing Ice

 

BEST SOUND EDITING

- Argo

- Django Unchained

- Life of Pi

- Skyfall

- Zero Dark Thirty

 

BEST SOUND MIXING

- Argo

- Les Miserables

- Life of Pi

- Lincoln

- Skyfall

 

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

- Anna Karenina

- Les Miserables

- Life of Pi

- Lincoln

 

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

- Hitchcock

- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

- Les Miserables

 

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

- Life of Pi

- The Avengers

- Prometheus

- Snow White and the Huntsman

 

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

- Anna Karenina

- Les Miserables

- Lincoln

- Mirror Mirror

- Snow White and the Huntsman

 

BEST FILM EDITING

- William Goldenberg, Argo

- Tim Squyres, Life of Pi

- Michael Kahn, Lincoln

- Jay Cassidy and Crispin Struthers, Silver Linings Playbook

- Dylan Tichenor and William Goldenberg, Zero Dark Thirty

[Chino]

I vote Life of Pi for every category it has been nominated for.

[Sigz]

Perks of Being a Wallflower should really be up for best adapted screenplay.

[TL]

Tarantino not even being nominated for Best Director is crazy, and made even worse by O'Russell getting nominated yet again.

Also, for some reason, it irks me that they nominated nine films instead of ten again. There were a LOT of films that easily deserved a nomination this year (regardless of whether or not they had a real chance, since several of the actual nominees don't).

[njdtfan]

Affleck not getting the nod for Argo, Tarantino for JU and DiCaprio for JU as well.

[Perpetual Change]

This is what I’d pick. I knocked out categories where I haven’t seen any of the movies or just don’t know (like best sound editing- worst goes to batman, though). Also, has reddit starting complaining about how The Dark Knight, The Avengers and, The Hobbit aren’t up for best picture yet?

BEST PICTURE
- Silving Linings Playbook

BEST DIRECTOR
- David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ACTOR
- Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln
 
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
- Robert De Niro, Silver Linings

BEST ACTRESS
- Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
- Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
- Wes Anderson and Roman Coppola, Moonrise Kingdom

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
- David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Roger Deakins, Skyfall

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
- Thomas Newman, Skyfall

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
- "Skyfall" - Skyfall

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
- Prometheus

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
- Snow White and the Huntsman

[PuffyPat]

I'm not surprised that Tarantino wasn't nominated for best director, and frankly I don't think he should have been. He's a good director, but his over the top style of directing gets old very, very quickly. Also, he's a better writer than he is director, and the fact that he's nominated for best original screenplay is reason enough for me to be alright with him not getting the nomination for best director.

[senecadawg2]

Nice to see Silver Linings Playbook get 7 nominations. I think it ought to win all of them, except for Best Actor.

Also, even though I didn't expect it, I was hoping Cloud Atlas might get nominated for something. Considering how much I liked the score I thought that might be the one.

[Perpetual Change]

Nice to see Silver Linings Playbook get 7 nominations. I think it ought to win all of them, except for Best Actor.

Also, even though I didn't expect it, I was hoping Cloud Atlas might get nominated for something. Considering how much I liked the score I thought that might be the one.

Yeah, seems like a weird omission. I get a lot of people didn’t like it, but I thought it was pretty good and definitely innovative enough.

[bout to crash]

Did people really like Silver Linings Playbook THAT much? So far it's looking to be the most overrated of the year to me. Did I enjoy it? Yes, a good deal, but not enough for it to deserve most of those awards.

I hope Beasts of the Southern Wild gets some recognition, as it was a beautiful and awesome film. Also wish Moonrise got a few more nods...

[senecadawg2]

I didn't particularly like Beasts of the Southern Wild, but thy may just be because I was pretty sick when I went to see it. As for Silver Linings Playbook, I don't think it is overrated. The acting was great across the board so I have no objection to those nominations. As for its other nominations... I definitely think it at least deserves a place in the discussion for best picture and best adapted screenplay. Not my favorite, but definitely in my top 3-5.

[masterthes]

SLP best shot at winning are Actress and maybe DeNiro. I think Lincoln will win adapted screenplay

[Perpetual Change]

I haven’t seen Beasts, but I felt like Silver Linings Playbook was definitely better than Moonrise Kingdom. I did enjoy Moonrise Kingdom, though.

My personal top 5 movies this year would probably be:

Cloud Atlas
Silver Linings Playbook
The Avengers
Skyfall
Moonrise Kingdom

 

[Dark Castle]

I guess I should have expected it but nothing for The Dark Knight Rises?

Other than that, I hope Wreck It Ralph get's the nod for Best Animated Feature, it's truly incredible.

[Perpetual Change]

I guess I should have expected it but nothing for The Dark Knight Rises?

Other than that, I hope Wreck It Ralph get's the nod for Best Animated Feature, it's truly incredible.

My thoughts on why TDKR isn’t going to get anything:

First and foremost, it’s a superhero movie. Love it or hate it, speculative fiction rarely ever wins Best Picture; especially when it’s about men in costumes. Usually, however, Sci-Fi and Fantasy movies CAN win a number of other categories, and do. Unfortunately, TDKR was noticeably weak in those areas.

Examples:

No way TDKR is going to win an award for cinematography or film editing. A huge complaint since release day has been that TDKR was pretty sloppy in that respect, with more than a few mistakes and potential sequencing issues (it’s hard to be sure). Overall, film buffs who liked the movie have even noted how sloppy and rushed the production seems. So that’s out.  But what about Hans Zimmers score? It was OK, but it’s IMO easily the most uneventful of the trilogy, despite all the heavy percussion (another early complaint).  And, as almost everyone pointed out, sound mixing was a bust, too. Bad sound overall, especially any time Bane spoke.

Now, think of The Avengers. While people in general tend to gravitate toward TDKR when it comes down to choosing one or the other (superheroes are serious business, amirite?), The Avengers EASILY had better editing, visuals, costuming, and sound than TDKR. The same goes for The Hobbit, really. So, I’m more surprised to see those two movies receiving few nods. Don’t get me wrong; TDKR was a pretty good movie overall and a satisfying end to Nolan’s Batman trilogy, but it was surprisingly weaker than the competition in most of the areas it potentially could have won (editing, sound, costuming, visuals, etc)

Personally, I liked The Hobbit, The Avengers, and Skyfall better than TDKR. But they were also all-around tighter films. TDKR may have been more compelling or whatever, but because it’s a superhero movie it’s never really going to have a chance to win a category where that would matter. 

[Accelerando]

In 1996, Batman Forever received 3 Oscar nominations. In In 2013, The Dark Knight Rises received 0. 

[TL]

Before the nominations had been announced, the Best Picture nominees I'd seen were Argo, Les Miserables, and Django Unchained. I really liked all three.

Django was fantastic. With Tarantino, whether or not you like it, you know it's going to be unique. Great story with engaging characters and storytelling. Fantastic performances all around. Waltz is the standout (he and Tarantino are such a perfect match). Foxx gives a good, mostly low key performance, punctuated with a few more intense moments. DiCaprio and Jackson are both great as well. It's compelling for its entire runtime, and Tarantino once again shows his skill with pacing and tension. Also, while the subject matter is heavy, and treated respectfully, there's probably more humor (all well placed) than in any of his other films. The first film I saw theatrically in 2013, and one hell of a way to start the year.

Argo was also great. Afleck really has some talent as a director. It's probably my favorite film of his so far, and I really liked the other two. Great pacing, and while there are a few minor creative liberties with the story, the events are handled in a respectful, captivating way. There are tense moments, fun moments, good performances, a mention of Halifax. What more could you want? I whole heartedly recommend it.

Les Miserables was definitely an enjoyable film going experience. Going in, I had a passing awareness of Les Mis, but wasn't knowledgeable enough to compare it to other versions (I'm reading the book now, but hadn't started at the time). From some other reactions I've heard, I think my level of awareness was ideal.
The film could have done with a grander scope during some parts, and closeups are used a bit too frequently, to the point where they lose their intended impact. There are some great performances though (Hathaway by far being the standout, and Jackman is no slouch), and needless to say, the music is great. The choice to have the actors sing on set rather than pre-recording payed off.
Far from the perfect Les Mis film, but its strengths definitely outweigh its weaknesses. I really enjoyed it.

[Perpetual Change]

In 1996, Batman Forever received 3 Oscar nominations. In In 2013, The Dark Knight Rises received 0. 

Yeah, for cinematography, sound, and sound editing. Terrible movie, but for its time better than The Dark Knight Rises is EVERY one of those categories.

[orcus116]

Did people really like Silver Linings Playbook THAT much? So far it's looking to be the most overrated of the year to me. Did I enjoy it? Yes, a good deal, but not enough for it to deserve most of those awards.

It looked like a generic rom-com from the trailers. I can't ever picture myself seeing it.

[Accelerando]

After much thought, here are some of my personal snubs and surprises for this years nominations:

The Snubs

- While I wasn't surprised, especially since it wasn't nominated for the Golden Globes, was the lack of technical awards for The Dark Knight Rises. I don't think it would get the Best Nom (ironically enough, the reason the Academy went back to 10 Best Picture Nominations like it did when the awards first started in the late 1920s was because The Dark Knight didn't get the nom), and but I thought it was a beautiful film, and the IMAX camera mastery is just a great piece of art.

- Ben Affleck had the best directing chops out of any of those who were nominated. This is the biggest snub for me. Does the Academy hate see former punch lines becoming well respected filmmakers? A filmmaker who is one of the best in the class?

- This should've been Leonardo di Caprio's year to finally get an Oscar nomination. He is a gifted actor, and his turn to being sadistic should be more than noteworthy.

- I haven't seen Zero Dark Thirty, but with all the hype and praise it's been getting, I was sure to think that Kathryn Bigelow would get a nod.

- Wishful thinking, but Looper was one of the most original movies I watched all year, and it was one of my favorites. The fact that it's missing entirely in technical categories and Screenplay baffles me.




The Surprises

- Adele's Skyfall song being nominated for an Oscar. The Academy has in the past ignored popular artists or groups in Oscar contention (Daft Punk should have been nominated for their score for TRON: Legacy. It was one of the most compelling and great scores of that year), but they've given the award to artists like Three 6 Mafia and Eminem in the past 12 years for their songs.

- Quvenzhane Wallis from Beasts of the Southern Wild. She's only 6 years old and got a Best Actress nomination! I'm hoping she gets it. I've yet to see the film, but who doesn't want to see a sweet 6 yr old girl receiving an Oscar?

- With the hype it got, I'm surprised The Master didn't get major nominations san Joaquin Pheonix and Amy Adams.

[masterthes]

Leo has had a few nominations under his belt.

[kári]

Another nomination for Belgium this year! Yay

[toro]

The Perks of Being a Wall Flower should have gotten an Adapted Screenplay nom. And Ben Affleck got snub'd too.

[senecadawg2]

Did people really like Silver Linings Playbook THAT much? So far it's looking to be the most overrated of the year to me. Did I enjoy it? Yes, a good deal, but not enough for it to deserve most of those awards.

It looked like a generic rom-com from the trailers. I can't ever picture myself seeing it.

It's much better than any generic rom-com I've ever seen. You should consider giving it a try.

- Wishful thinking, but Looper was one of the most original movies I watched all year, and it was one of my favorites. The fact that it's missing entirely in technical categories and Screenplay baffles me.

me too

[skydivingninja]

I'm with PC.  I'm really surprised the Hobbit and the Avengers were pretty snubbed this year.  Cloud Atlas should have been nominated for makeup at the very least.  I thought that's what it would win when I saw it. 

Still need to see Moonrise Kingdom, Silver Linings Playbook, and Django. 

[Perpetual Change]

Did people really like Silver Linings Playbook THAT much? So far it's looking to be the most overrated of the year to me. Did I enjoy it? Yes, a good deal, but not enough for it to deserve most of those awards.

It looked like a generic rom-com from the trailers. I can't ever picture myself seeing it.

Thats what I thought from the trailers too but trust me, it ain't.

[Progmetty]

Just came back from Django and I gotta say with all due respect to the amazing Christopher Waltz; DiCaprio deserved that supporting actor nomination more.

[bout to crash]

Not sure I agree with that, but wouldn't have minded seeing them both on the list!

[Accelerando]

Two more days until the big night!

I myself have been indulging in a Oscar movie spree the past few week. Last weekend I went to an AMC Theaters Best Picture Showcase, where they are screening all nine nominated films. I didn't watch all nine last weekend, I only say four. Tomorrow I will view the the remaining five. The four I saw were Amour, Les Miserables, Argo, and Django Unchained.

As of right now, Django Unchained is my favorite to win, followed closely by Argo, which I think is the frontrunner from the sounds of things, and justly so. Amour was beautiful and sad and wonderful and takes the third spot, while Les Miz will probably be on the bottom even with next weekends final 5 films to watch. I just don't think it deserves to be in this category. It was terribly shot. The art direction was beautiful, but I wish I could have seen it. Yeah, the movie had many strong performances, but that does not constitute a good movie. It would have constituted a good stage production. It was the second time I viewed this film, and I think I enjoyed it less than my first. 

Very much looking forward to Zero Dark Thirty, Silver Linings Playbook, Life of Pi, Lincoln, and Beasts of the Southern Wild tomorrow.


Today I had the chance to watch all the short films nominated in their respective categories. It was not an AMC event, but Fathom who does re-screenings of classic films and other movie theater events did it. It was great finally watching films in category I was most unfamiliar with because short fllms are just not very accessible. Here are my top nominated films from each category:

Best Short - Live
1. Henry
2. Death of a Shadow
3. Asad
4. Buzkashi Boys
5. Curfew

Best Short - Animated
1. Paperman
2. Adam and Dog
3. Head Over Heels
4. Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"
5. Fresh Guacamole

[TL]

BEST PICTURE
Argo

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis

BEST ACTRESS
EMMANUELLE RIVA

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway

ANIMATED FEATURE
ParaNorman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Skyfall

COSTUME DESIGN
Les Miserables

DIRECTING
David O. Russell

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
5 Broken Cameras

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Inocente

FILM EDITING
Argo

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
War Witch

MAKEUP AND HAIR
The Hobbit

ORIGINAL SCORE
Argo

ORIGINAL SONG
Skyfall

PRODUCTION DESIGN
Lincoln

ANIMATED SHORT
Paperman

LIVE ACTION SHORT
Asad

SOUND EDITING
Skyfall

SOUND MIXING
Les Miserables

VISUAL EFFECTS
Life of Pi

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
ARGO

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Django Unchained

[Accelerando]

TL, I definitely agree with most of those picks! However, I am keen on Ang Lee winning for Life of Pi.



Today was the last day for Best Picture Showcase at AMC. I viewed Beasts of the Southern Wild, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, and Zero Dark Thirty. Now that I have seen every film nominated for Best Picture, I can honestly say that this is the strongest field I have seen for the category in a while. Even though I give Les Miserables a hard time, it is a good film, but it doesn't come near a scratch with the other amazing movies. Here's how I rank them, 1-9.

1. Django Unchained
2. Argo
3. Beasts of the Southern Wild
4. Life of Pi
5. Silver Linings Playbook
6. Lincoln
7. Zero Dark Thirty
8. Amour
9. Les Miserables

[masterthes]

With all of the musical guests, I'm wondering if this is going to be one of the longer Oscar telecasts. I wouldn't be suprised if it goes over 4 hours

[BlackInk]

Only a few hours away!

My predictions:

Best Picture -                                Will Win: Lincoln
Best Actor -                                   Will Win: Daniel Day-Lewis
                                                     Should Win: Hugh Jackman
Best Actress -                               Will Win: Emmanuelle Riva
Best Supporting Actor -                Will Win: Christoph Waltz
Best Supporting Actress -             Will Win: Anne Hathaway
Best Animated Film -                     Will Win: Wreck-It Ralph
Cinematography -                         Will Win: Lincoln
Costume Design -                         Will Win: Lincoln
Best Director -                               Will Win: Steven Spielberg (Lincoln)
Documentary Feature -                 Will Win: 5 Broken Cameras
Documentary Short -                     Will Win: Redemption
Best Editing -                                 Will Win: Argo
Foreign Language Film -                Will Win: Amour
Make-Up and Hairstyling -             Will Win: Les Misérables
Best Original Score -                     Will Win: Life of Pi
Best Original Song -                      Will Win: Pi's Lullaby (Life of Pi)
Production Design -                       Will Win: Lincoln
Animated Short Film -                    Will Win: Paperman
Short Film -                                    Will Win: Asad
Sound Editing -                              Will Win: Django Unchained
Sound Mixing -                               Will Win: Life of Pi
Visual Effects -                               Will Win: Life of Pi
                                                      Should Win: Prometheus
Best Adapted Screenplay -            Will Win: Lincoln
Best Original Screenplay -              Will Win: Zero Dark Thirty
                                                       Should Win: Django Unchained

[hefdaddy42]

I think Argo wins Best Picture, and Spielberg wins best director.

[wasteland]

Well, we have the winners, right?